U.N. official decries anti-terror bill "Esp troubling after Abu Ghraib" [View All]

[kerry-is-my-prez]

Apparently - only Israel and Austrailia defended it.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060929/ap_on_re_mi_ea/terror_legislation_world_view;_ylt=Av0MuO.ibjPHmBbGUudyfhYUewgF;_ylu=X3oDMTA3b3JuZGZhBHNlYwM3MjE-

MADRID, Spain - The top U.N. official on torture said Friday that a bill before the U.S. Congress could deprive terrorism suspects of a fair trial and was especially troubling after the mistreatment of prisoners at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison.

The legislation, expected to clear a final congressional hurdle Friday and go to the White House for the president's signature, was condemned by many politicians, human rights groups and newspapers around the world as a violation of international law and an invitation to torture. At least two U.S. allies — Poland and Britain — declined to comment directly on the proposal.

-snip-

In Iraq, strong opposition to the legislation appeared to be one of the few things Shiite and Sunni politicians could agree on.

"This bill violates human rights and restricts freedoms," said Saleem al-Jibour, a lawmaker with the Iraqi Islamic Party, a major Sunni political group.

Abdul Karim al-Inazi, a lawmaker from Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Dawa party, said the bill marked the "abandonment of all calls for human rights and democracy."